Storm Floods Winter Park With Damage

After the rain

The City Weathered Downed Trees And Flooded Buildings After An Afternoon Shower.

September 9, 1992|By Diane Sears Of The Sentinel Staff

WINTER PARK — Walking around barefoot might violate the dress code at most insurance offices, but the five employees at a Winter Park business had little choice Tuesday.

An afternoon thunderstorm dumped a deluge of water on the new burgundy carpet at the Francis L. Jackson State Farm Insurance agency at 963 Orange Ave.

''Of course, it's new carpet,'' said Ron Jackson, who manages the 1,000-square-foot office. ''It's held up real well. We'll find out how well it dries out.''

The storm also snapped trees in downtown Orlando and College Park, but there were no reports of injuries.

Lightning struck a huge oak tree at 712 Hillcrest St. in downtown Orlando, splitting the trunk into sections that smashed down on the kitchen, the front porch and a neighbor's fence.

The home's owner, Trish Prochaska, was not at home. But her friend Virginia Washington, 78, who was inside the house, watched as one of the giant arms of wood crashed through the kitchen roof.

''I was just so stunned,'' Washington said. ''It (the lightning) split it like a knife.''

The downpour, which began about 2:30 p.m., dropped 0.48 of an inch of rain by 4 p.m. at Orlando International Airport, the National Weather Service said. But along Orange Avenue, where the roadway looked like a lagoon, employees at several businesses said as much as 5 inches of water flowed into their buildings.

Each passing car sent ripples right up to the doorsteps.

''When the buses went by, they really came in,'' said Brenda Savoy, a secretary at Gourmet International at 1010 Orange Ave.

Her boss said the business looked like it had been hit by a tidal wave.